Speaking with One Voice

When we speak with one voice, we can help make the Delaware Valley a safer place.

As we work toward implementing the strategies outlined in the 2012 Safety Action Plan, effective communication plays an important role. Using consistent, focused messaging and branding when promoting safety education and/or enforcement campaigns can help promote changes to social norms over the long-term.

Social change doesn't happen overnight - it takes years of driving the message home. People tend to only process a few pieces of information at a time; repetition helps us remember important messages. Examples such as the successful reduction of drinking and driving fatalities (estimated 383,000 lives saved since MADD was founded in 1980), or the increase in seat belt usage (20 percent increase in seat belt use from 2000 to 2006 with the "Click it or ticket" campaign), illustrate the power of consistent communication over time to bring about change.

For most of the seven Emphasis Areas in the 2012 Safety Action Plan there are established "tag lines" associated with local or national campaigns. (The two emphasis areas more oriented to engineering improvements, Keep Vehicles on the Roadway, and Improve Intersections, are not listed.) Below, some of the most prominent for each Emphasis Area from the Plan are listed.